The Late Results of Stubbornness
by LVoss PL
Summary: A young girl is in a deep depression after losing her mother... But what about her father? Can anyone change her miserable life for a better? This is the story of a young girl... named Ai Narusegawa? My first fic! Please Read and Review!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Love Hina

**"The late results of stubbornness"**

_Prologue_

It was a sunny day – even as for early November. Even though the winter was near, everything looked just so beautiful – the grass was still as green as in the summer; the trees had beautiful and breathtaking shades of red, orange, gold and yellow. Even the chirps of those birds that don't fly away for the winter were beautiful. Everyone would be cheered up seeing this. But not her. Not after all those awful experiences, she went through. The dark-haired girl with a cute ponytail and very pretty face was just sitting there, holding her knees. Crying. And if you have a good hearing, maybe you would be able to hear her whispering between the sobbing.

"Mommy... Today... Today is my... my..." Another sob rocked her body. "My 15th birthday... Why couldn't you... Spend this day with me? You promised!" The answer obviously didn't come. "Why were you the one who had to die!" she cried with a mixture of anger, sorrow and indescribable pain. She clenched her fists and her tears started to run down like a waterfall... "W... why..." She slowly calmed down, but didn't stop crying. "Eight months... has it really been already eight months?" She looked up to the sky, and slowly stopped crying. She stood up and stared at the beautiful sunset. That encouraged her a little. "I shouldn't cry… Wasn't that you who told me to be strong? But still… I miss you so much… I love you mommy… And I'll never forget you. I promise. And I always keep my promises." She let a big sigh. "You don't even know how hard is living without you…" Suddenly, she dropped her head. She felt guilty… "Oh, I'm so stupid… If I'm saying so, why am I running away? I guess I'm as stubborn as you have always been…" A little smile appeared on her pretty, but still so sad face. "This is something I learned from you…" She let another sigh and kept staring at the sky for hours.

The sun has already set, the birds were quiet for a long time and she still stood there… Now, staring at the beautiful full moon. Finally, she wiped her tears away, turned back, went to an old mat in the centre of the glade and lied down on it. She looked around carefully as if she were looking for someone, made sure no one is watching her and finally covered herself with another mat, but this one was in a better condition. She slowly closed her tired eyes. "At least, only five more years to freedom from now on… Why is the adult age in Japan so high? Why has it to be 20? What about orphans like me?"

Slowly, she fell asleep and dreamed about her mother… She didn't know the police are still looking for her… And the commandant keeps saying "Missing girl's data: Name – Ai. Surname – Narusegawa. Date of the birth: 10th November 2002. She's an orphan and a runaway from the child's house. Physical appearance: dark hair, with characteristic antenna-style bangs, has a ponytail. Eyes: blue or green…"


	2. 1 The Mysterious Guy

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Love Hina.

"**The Late Results of Stubbornness"**

_Chapter one: "The Mysterious Guy"_

Ai slowly woke up. She looked at the sky and saw it's still completely dark; the cicadas and owls were also very noisy. At first, she didn't know why she woke up. Until she saw few boys around 18 years old looking at her. And they weren't friendly looks. She was sure her heartbeat was as fast as Formula 1 now. "Ummm… Good evening…?" The boys grinned in an unpleasant way and came closer.

"As for whom, you little cutie…" one of them said. He had very fashion clothes and seemed to be the boss of the gang. "Wanna a little party with us?" His grin widened. Ai gulped and shivered uncontrolable.

"N… no… maybe some other time… G… gotta going, bye!" She quickly jumped out of her mats but two of the boys caught her wrists in the turn of hand. The boss came closer.

"I think we didn't understand each other. That wasn't an offer. That was an order." She shivered more and almost lost her consciousness out of fear. Looking around she saw only ignominious faces of these boys. In desperation, she tried to bust out but the grips of two 18 years old boys were definitively way too strong for one 15 years old girl.

"L… Let go of me, please!" she almost begged. Those only made them laugh. They completely ignored her words.

"What is so sweet little girl doing in the middle of a scary forest? Aren't you scared? We may see you out, you know. We're nice guys."

"I… I'm more scared of you all than this forest!" she shouted angrily, suddenly encouraged. The boss made out a pained face.

"You don't act like someone scared if you yell at us… Perhaps we should teach you a lesson?" He came closer. Ai desperatively looked for an opportunity to bust out but the two boys who were holding her previously, now were already holding her arms. The boss came closer.

"D… don't you dare doing something to me!" she yelled.

"But why should I dare to do something to you?" the boss asked. "I only thought since you're so sad girl, maybe we can teach you how to play? With… tongues perhaps? Later we can teach you some… advanced lessons." He laughed very ominously and came VERY close. She could almost feel his breathing. It smelled with alcohol, in addition. That heartbreaking scared-to-death look in her eyes was enough to make anyone who has even the littlest amount of mercy feel guilty. The problem was they did not have ANY amount of mercy in their black hearts. He finally reached her, slowly putting his hands on her hips and moving them up.

"If you want to rape me, I'd rather like to be killed instead!" she cried with a last hope of melting their hearts. Hope often blinks at a fool.

"Well, it _can_ be done." he said taking out a big butcher knife out of his jacket. She didn't expect that. Her breathing, which was so fast in the last few minutes, now almost stopped.

"So, we have a deal? I'll kill you now and then rape your death body. Then everyone will be happy. Is it okay with you?" He looked at her, waiting for an answer.

She couldn't say anything. Her mouth didn't want to open. She felt that there are passing the last seconds of her life. "Here I come, mommy…" she thought and closed her eyes, waiting for a mortal slash…

… which has never come. "Well, it's definitively _not_ okay with _me_!" a filled with anger male voice came out from nowhere. Ai quickly opened her eyes and saw boys are looking around for an owner of that voice. Suddenly the boss flew about ten meters away and crushed into a tree. Ai quickly looked in the direction the impact came from and saw a furious man around 35 years old with a fire in his blue eyes. She didn't get to look at him closely because he quickly punched two guys who were holding her on the face. The punches were strong enough to make them lose their consciousness. Ai stared blank at the strange savior but he already turned to the rest of the gang. All of the boys looked scared to death. Then they all pulled out guns.

"So, what will you say _now_, mister?" Ai looked to the man who, surprisingly, didn't look scared at all. He just smiled and let a sigh.

"I'll say you're really pathetic." he said and suddenly rushed to the aggressors. Before any of them could react, he already knocked one of them out. They quickly took few steps back and began shooting. Ai quickly covered her eyes but she still could hear the battle chaos, shooting and shouting…

She didn't know how much time has passed. She just stood there completely frozen, with her eyes closed. Once everything finally calmed down, she was sure she will be next to be killed. There was no chance for a strange man to win against five guys with guns. As she expected she felt a hand on her arm. She didn't try to run or something. "At least, I'll meet my mother…" she thought. To her surprise, she heard a friendly and caring voice.

"Are you all right?" Surprised, she opened her eyes widely. At first, she couldn't believe that. All of the boys were lying unconscious on the ground, tied up with a rope and the strange man was standing next to her, smiling. She gulped and looked into his eyes.

"Um… Ye… Yeah… I'm fine…" Man's smile widened.

"That's good. Who knows what these guys could do to you…" She looked at the man closely. He had dark ruffled hair and blue eyes covered by small glasses. He was wearing a loose T-shirt and black jeans. She found his face quite handsome. Mostly because of his smile. She didn't know why, but this smile made her calm, as if nothing bad could happen with that man. Now, when he wasn't angry, he seemed to be a really nice and kind guy. And maybe he actually was since he risked his life for her.

"Um… Thank you for… um…" She searched for the right words. "For saving my life… and chastity, mr…" He smiled again.

"Urashima. Keitaro Urashima."


	3. 2 The Strange Archaeologist?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Love Hina.

"**The Late Results of Stubbornness"**

_Chapter two: "The Strange Archaeologist?"_

Ai was finishing her very late dinner right now. As for man cooking, it was delicious. Actually, it was delicious even as for female cooking! Then again, if you eat only fruits and occasionally some meat, received from some kind people thanks to the begging at the streets, you would find EVERY cooking delicious. She was eating so fast she couldn't probably remember its taste!

"Hey, hey!" she heard. She turned to her companion. "You know, you shouldn't eat that fast, or you will choke." he said with that uncanny smile of his. She blushed a little, and gulped down.

"Um, I'm sorry Urashima-san… I shouldn't eat that much of your food either…"

"That's not what I meant. Feel free to eat as much as you want. I just don't want you to choke to death in front of my eyes!" he laughed, probably trying to cheer her up. Instead, she just dropped her head in depression.

"Yeah… to death…" she said in a depressed tone. He noticed that.

"Uh, sorry… I guess I committed a blunder…" he said with a very serious face this time.

"No, it's okay… I just thought…" she stopped. 'I can't tell him… I don't know if I can trust him… I barely know him, after all… What if he'll take me back to the child's house?'

"About what?" He looked at her with a curious face.

"Umm… never mind." She turned away from him.

"Uh, sorry for asking." he said, ruffling his hair. There was an awkward silence between the two of them for a few minutes. Finally, he spoke again.

"Hey, it's a bit late… Are you going to sleep?" She looked at him a bit unsure with indeed sleepy eyes.

"Umm, I'd like to… but what about you?" He smiled again.

"I'll be watching this place, so you can sleep safely." She was puzzled now. What kind of a guy was he? 'Maybe he's planning to do something during my sleep…' She almost laughed at that thought. 'I'm getting paranoid… He saved me from something like that… Why should he hurt me or my body?'

"So you won't sleep at all?"

"I don't need that much of sleep. Camping and not sleeping much is a part of my job."

"Your job?" she asked with a curious face. "What is your job then?"

"I'm an archaeologist. You know, I'm digging around for some artifacts." Now she wasn't sleepy anymore. In fact, there was much of interest in her eyes.

"Really! I've heard it's very interesting job! Could you tell me a bit about it, please?" He chuckled.

"I thought you're sleepy?"

"I am, but I'd REALLY like to listen about archaeology. I'm very curious about this."

"Okay…" He let a sigh and began. "Well, it's not as interesting as some people think, but definitively not boring. Some people think archaeologists have adventures like Indiana Jones…"

"And they don't at all?" she interrupted him.

"Well, speaking of myself, I did have some adventures like finding lost tribes or almost dying in some traps like falling rocks…"

"WHAT! And you're saying you're not like Indiana Jones at all?"

"Well, maybe I had some interesting adventures, but that isn't a common thing. In fact, that's only a nice change from sitting in a hole and digging."

"But you like your work, don't you?"

"Yes, a lot actually. If I don't, I wouldn't be an archaeologist… It's very important to find your calling."

"You think so?"

"I'm sure of it."

"So… when did you realize archaeology is your calling?" He smiled and looked away.

"A long time ago… I think I was 21 back then."

"And how old are you now?" He looked at her funny.

"You know, you would be a good journalist. You keep asking me very professionally." Her face became red as she stared down.

"Ummm… I…" He chuckled.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Only women can't be asked about their age. I'm 38 for your information."

"So you're archaeologist from 17 years already?" He shook his head.

"Nope. At first, I was just an archaeology student. And honestly, the studies weren't easy but I enjoyed them a lot. I finished my studies and got my doctorate at the age of 27. Since then, I'm also teaching archaeology at the Toudai…" He was nearly scared when she almost jumped at him, shouting

"WHAT! So you finished studies at TOUDAI! The best university in the whole Asia!" He ruffled his hair again and chuckled.

"I was just lucky. And actually, I didn't get there because I'm super smart, if that's what you meant. It's just that my quote of life is 'If you'll try, there's nothing you can't do.'." She gave him a puzzled look.

"What does that mean?"

"Well, I failed three times before I finally got in." Now it surprised her. She has always thought that if someone doesn't pass the test it means he's too stupid for that university. 'I guess I was wrong,' she thought.

"Well, but you were near passing each time, right?" she asked with a little hope her theory was right.

"Nope. The last time I failed I got a score of 48!" If she was surprised before, now she was totally shocked.

"Then… then how did you manage to raise your score so hard? I've heard that to get into Toudai you need at least 69!" He gave her a very strange look. Was that a melancholy? Tenderness? Or maybe something else? He hesitated before answering her.

"Well… Let's just say I got a marvelous tutor." Her curiosity increased but something in his voice told her to not ask him more about that. In addition, she was really sleepy.

"Um… okay…" She yawned. "Um, I don't want to sound rude, but I'd like to get some sleep."

"Sure." He smiled. "Let's go," he said, standing up.

"HUH? Where to?"

"To my car of course!" he said, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. She looked at his white old-fashioned van across the glade.

"Why there?"

"Hey, don't give me that sceptical look! It's actually very comfy inside. I sleep there quite often and I never complain." She still seemed a bit unsure. "Don't worry, I would NEVER let a girl sleep in uncomfortable conditions… and that's exactly why I wouldn't let you sleep on that old mat. It's very unhealthy, you know, and you are definitively too young to waste your health," he said in a strict voice. She looked at him. 'What a kind guy…'

"Um, won't I be any trouble?" He shook his head.

"Not at all." She smiled at him.

"Okay, but you don't need to stay awake for the whole night… If I'll be in the car, I think nothing bad could happen." He smiled back.

"Well then, I'll try to take a little nap."

"Wait a minute… where will you be sleeping, if I will be occupying the car?" She suddenly realized that little problem.

"On your mat of course!"

"But you've just said that's very unhealthy!"

"I'm an older guy… And thanks to my job, I'm not so scared of getting sick… I got used to these conditions, already. I also have some kind of immunity to the physical harm. I became aware of this when I've been getting through some… incidents in the past… very distant past…" he said, looking away and sighing, suddenly getting very sad.

'That's not the first time tonight when he has this look on his face,' Ai thought. 'That's strange. I've got the same look when I think about mother… Maybe Urashima-san also had someone who died? Maybe in these incidents he's talking about…' But when she was about to ask him about that, he already got hold on himself.

"Well, it has gotten really late… Well, you better go already. Come on."

"If you're saying so…" she said and followed the strange, kind archaeologist to his car, hoping she'll get to know him better soon…

* * *

**Author notes: **Well, first of all, I'd like to reply some reviewers: 

To **darksoulessbody17**: Sorry that I made that mistake about Keitaro having blue eyes. I watched anime only once and not very carefully. And from the shades in manga, I thought he has blue ones... Well, guess I was wrong. Sorry for that. However, he doesn't have completely brown ones, too. I'd said they're grey or green... And I always keep confusing green and blue eyes...

And here you are – a bit longer chapter, as you wished. (Actually, I planned the prologue and the first chapter to be quite short before...)

To **Hotstreak RMD**: Sorry about that 'brutal part' about killing and then raping, but I've heard it's quite common crime… and she wasn't killed or raped after all, right?

To everyone: Sorry for my grammar mistakes, as I said, I'm a foreigner so my English sucks sometimes. But I hope it'll get better since I'm working hard on it. Also, thanks for your nice words!

Until the next chapter! ;) And please review!


	4. 3 She Was a Great Mother

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Love Hina.

**Pre-read by: **darksoulessbody17

"**The Late Results of Stubbornness"**

_Chapter three: "She Was a Great Mother…"_

Ai slept well that night. Finally, she didn't have to worry about criminals doing the scariest things to her or the police finding her. In addition, she felt very comfortable on the mini-futon inside the car and because of that she woke up with a wide smile on her face. She jumped from the futon and opened the door. She saw Keitaro sitting near a fire and eating something that seemed to be a fish. He noticed her.

"Hello there! Hope you've slept well?" he asked with a smile.

"Sure I have! For the first time in a long time, actually," she replied, smiling back. Her eyes widened, as she remembered something. "Say... Where are those guys?" she said looking around, but not seeing them anywhere.

"Oh, those bastards? I carried them far away from here..." She gasped. "Heh, you don't have to worry. I doubt they'll hurt someone again after that lesson." She nodded, but something was still bothering her.

"Um, can I ask you a question?" He smiled again.

"Go ahead."

"Um... When did you learn to fight like that? You must be a great martial artist..." He shook his head.

"Not really." He laughed. "I fight like that only when I get REALLY mad at someone. And since I hate when people hurt other people, I just did what I had to do," he said humbly, ruffling his hair.

"But you still haven't answered me, when did you learn that?"

"I've been practicing with my friend, mentor and idol when it comes to archaeology, Seta-san for years now. Even if I'm not as good as he is, I can say I'm quite skilled."

"Oh, I see," she said with an admiration in her eyes.

"Here, take this," he said handing her a roast fish. "I caught and roasted it over the fire so it might be bad, but…" She cut him off by raising her hand.

"No, it's okay. I liked your cooking last night so this should be delicious, too." He smiled.

"Heh, thanks for the compliment."

"You're welcome." She smiled back.

For the next few minutes, they were eating in complete silence. Finally, she spoke again.

"Urashima-san…" He turned his head towards her.

"Yeah?"

"Doesn't your family mind…that you're absent from home so much? You know, in all this excavations…" He looked at her attentively.

"I don't have any…" This was the third time she saw that strange look in his eyes. But this time she could almost feel the sorrow there. This time, She was so desperate to know why he's making this face so often. She gulped and asked.

"You never had any…?" He gave her a quick, but even stranger look.

"No… never…" But looking at his expression, she was sure he wasn't telling the whole truth. He got hold on himself and looked at her. "And what about you?" She was taken back by that question.

"M… Me?" She shivered and gulped.

"Yeah. About your life, Ai-chan." Now she was totally surprised and horrified, in addition.

"H… How do you know… my name?" He smiled.

"Well, let's say you're a quite popular person here… Although I'm from Tokyo and arrived here, in Hokkaido, two weeks ago, I've already heard pretty much about you." She shivered more and wondered what will happen to her.

"How… how much?"

"I know your name is Ai Narusegawa… and the police are looking for you," he said with a very serious face.

"Only that?"

"Yeah." She gulped.

"And… What are you going to do with me?" She waited nervously for his answer. He took a deep breath.

"Nothing, as for now." She felt a little relieved.

"You… aren't going to take me to the police?" she asked, still very nervous.

"I'd like to know why they are searching for you, first. I want to hear your version of the story." He looked at her attentively. "But please don't lie, okay?" She gulped. Somehow, she knew she could trust him, even though she couldn't tell why. She nodded.

"Okay…"

"Well then, why are the police looking for you?"

"I'm a runaway…" she said softly. He raised his eyebrow.

"From where?"

"From the child's house…" she said sadly.

"Oh. So… you're an orphan?" She looked at him with a very serious face and nodded.

"Yes… My mother died eight months ago…" She let out a deep sigh. No matter how long ago it was, she still was so sad and depressed when she thought about her beloved mother. He noticed that.

"Looking at your face, I guess you two had a great relationship?"

"Of course!" she cried. "She was the best mother I could even wish for!" He looked at her with a curious face.

"Really? For example?"

"For starters, she has NEVER even yelled at me. She always talked with me very friendly and seriously and also with a limitless patience." She stopped for a moment. Her eyes seemed shining with a strange light. After thinking about that for a moment, she continued. "And she always showed me she loves me and I often received proofs of her love… Whenever I wanted to talk with her, I was just running to her, hugging her and beginning the conversation. And she was never running me out. Never. Even though I surely was pretty intrusive sometimes. She just seemed to enjoy our small talks about everything. And so I did. We had only each other so we were as close as we could… We spend most of our time with each other… We…" She didn't realize her throat was itching from a while now. She stopped and tried her best to hold back her tears. She looked at his face. He seemed to listen to her very carefully, but when he saw she's about to cry, he put his hand on her arm.

"It's… okay. You shouldn't hold back… your tears…" She looked up in his face only for a short moment, but that was enough to see he also had humid eyes.

'It looks like he can be touched quite easy… Could it really be he also had someone whom he loved? But I really don't have courage to ask him directly…' She got hold on herself after a while.

"We… loved each other very, very much…" she finished.

"She had predispositions to be a great mother…" She found his words a bit strange since they sounded more like an affirmance rather than a question.

"I guess so…" After a moment of silence, he spoke again.

"Well, you told me so many wonderful things about your mother… But didn't say a word about your father." He was surprised when her face suddenly became cold and vindictive.

"Never had any." He raised his eyebrow and looked surprised.

"That's impossible. Everyone had a father. Otherwise, they couldn't be born."

"I don't care. I never knew the guy who dared to call himself my father. I think I'm a result of a rape since mom didn't reply when I asked her about my father. I was about seven years old back then. She just said I'm too young to understand and there was so much of pain on her face… maybe she would tell me now, but I won't have a chance to ask her again…"

"You think being a result of a rape is the only possibility?"

"Well, maybe he dumped her when she told him about me. Like a coward! Anyway, I never met that guy… he'll better watch out when I'll meet him!" she finished angrily. The serious look on his face surprised her.

"Sometimes there are things you shouldn't talk about when you don't know the details. There could be many possibilities…" He didn't seem mad, rather serious, but she was somehow sure he was rather mad.

"Maybe…" she mumbled, but it was obvious she doesn't agree with him.

The next few moments were completely silent when they were finishing the fishes. Once they finished, he took a deep breath.

"Can I ask you about something else?" She nodded.

"Sure."

"Why did you run away?" She let a sigh.

"Because living in the child's house was too painful for me." He looked very surprised.

"Why?"

"Everything reminded me that I'm an orphan. When I was eating with other kids, when I was sleeping in the bed that wasn't truly mine,when I wasn't seeing mom's face around… So I just had to run away."

"And being here doesn't remind you about that, too?"

"It does, but not so often… I'm alone here and can still talk with her… The only difference is she doesn't reply me… Anyway, I have too much things to do everyday to think about that too often… So, could you please not take me to the police?" she begged him. He thought about that for a while.

"Only under one condition." She was a little scared.

"Which is?"

"Since I think it's really too dangerous for you to wander around by yourself – the best example was these boys – and I'll be here for the next month, you will be camping with me. Is this all right with you?"

"Of course!" she cried maybe even more enthusiastically than she intended to. She blushed. "Um, I mean… I'm very grateful for such kindness and everything…" He smiled widely.

"OK, so it's settled. If you want to, you can watch me in the work now… I have a feeling there are some artifacts here." Her eyes widened.

"What! Do you archaeologists have a 6th sense, or something?" He chuckled.

"Sometimes. I've told you, already – it's a calling after all."

"Oh, I see." She smiled and watched preparations to the digging. She couldn't believe her luck – she has finally found someone who she had so much in common which and in addition, he wanted to take care of her for a little while.

'Maybe life isn't that bad,' she thought.

**Pre-reader note:** Very interesting chapter… Is Keitaro perhaps the father of Ai? Don't tell me the answer to that though, I rather wait. I hope that I made your story a little bit better. Well, I await your next chapter to pre-read! Good job and good luck!


	5. 4 The Hidden Talent?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Love Hina.

**Pre-read by: **darksoulessbody17

"**The Late Results of Stubbornness"**

_Chapter 4: "The Hidden Talent?"_

Ai was watching Keitaro digging. She's been wandering with him for two weeks already; she smiled to herself at the thought. She really had a lot of fun with him through all these days. She realized she was still able to smile widely and even laugh. It's all because she has finally found a person who she can be almost as open with as with her mother. She thought of him as a kind of a gift from the heavens. Even though he seemed to appear from nowhere, she really admired him and found common ground with him. He seemed to enjoy her company, too.

However, something was still bothering her. That expression he made three times already… what could it be? Maybe he's so friendly with her because he had a similar situation in his life as she has? Still, she couldn't find enough courage to ask him.

"Phew, still nothing…" he said, interrupting her thoughts. She looked at him and smiled.

"Can I try it?" That dumbfounded him.

"What? You want to dig?" She smiled.

"Sure! It seems very interesting!" He still wasn't really sure.

"But… you're…"

"Don't say I'm a girl and I wasn't created for this! I'd really like to just try!" He gave up.

"Okay, okay… here you go," he said, handing her a spade. "But I'm warning you, it's quite boring and needs lot of patience…" She smiled.

"I know that! Just let me dig, okay?" He smiled and nodded. She walked few meters away. "All right, I'm sure something will be here!" She started digging with a cheerful smile on her face. Ten minutes didn't even pass when she shouted "Hey! I found something!" He quickly rushed to her and was amazed by her finding – a beautiful shaped vase and other ceramics were filling the small hole she dug.

"Uhh… That's… That's… Amazing, Ai-chan…" he said with disbelief. She grinned.

"Well, I just had a feeling something will be here. Is this a big discovery?"

"Hmm, I don't know yet. It may be. I haven't seen this kind of ceramics before so it's quite possible you even found a lost culture!" Her eyes widened, as she looked very excited.

"REALLY! WOW! I made such a big discovery!" Her excitement was so big she started to run around the whole glade, jumping. He chuckled.

"Hey, don't get so excited! This will be a really big discovery only if you keep digging and find some more!" He didn't have to repeat that. She quickly grabbed the spade and started to dig two times more energetically than before. He smiled at the sight of an excitement on her face. "Anyway, quite good for your first dig."

"I still haven't finished yet!" she said, grinning.

And as she said, she found even more of them, very exotically shaped and designed. They were so beautiful she couldn't stop admiring them. Keitaro couldn't say anything; just watching her digging by the sweat of her brow with his jaw dropped to the ground. And she was so absorbed and excited by the work that she didn't have the idea he's secretly watching her, smiling in a strange way.

She didn't stop for a moment until he said it's definitely enough for today and it's late evening, too.

"Well, I really have to praise you. Even I have never found that much of artifacts – very valuable, in addition – in one day. I'm quite amazed by your abilities," he said with an admiration. She looked very tired, but her eyes were so lively now. And he saw she looks really beautiful when she smiles. Surely much different from on their first meeting…

"Well, maybe I'll be an archaeologist, too? It really fascinates me." He chuckled and looked at her closely.

"But you should go back to the school first." Her smile disappeared immediately as she dropped her head.

"You… you know that's not possible…" His face was very serious.

"Yes, I know…" After a few moments of silence, he decided to ask her something.

"Oh, by the way… Were you good in school?" She nodded her head proudly.

"Sure! I was the best student in my whole middle school when I finished it! Teachers were very proud of me… and so was mom… She was so proud of me… She was a teacher herself, but in high school. I would be going to the high school now… If she waited a little more… she would be…" her voice cracked again. And she noticed this strange look of his, again. But this time, he looked as he wanted to ask her something.

"Actually, maybe I shouldn't really ask… but how did your mother… die?" She was totally shocked and taken back by that question. She quickly turned her head away and didn't reply. He gulped.

"S… sorry… I really shouldn't…" But she slowly turned her head back to him with a serious and determined expression.

"No…" she said softly. "I can't always be running away from the past… even though it's painful to remember… but I don't want to forget her… and all our cheerful memories." He put his hand on her arm and looked at her seriously.

"But if you really don't want to…" She shook her head.

"I want…, no, I need to tell someone about this…" He smiled a little.

"Okay… well, I'm all ears." She took a deep breath and started to narrate…

**_Pre-reader notes:_ Nice chapter, even better cliffhanger. Luckily I won't have to wait long since you update pretty fast. Well, I hope I helped you with your story and your English and look forward to work with you later on.**


	6. 5 Ai's Story

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Love Hina.

**Pre-read by: **darksoulessbody17

"**The Late Results of Stubbornness"**

_Chapter five: "Ai's Story"_

It started about a year ago, when I was about fourteen. That was when I noticed something was wrong. At first glance, everything was normal. But taking a closer look, I realized something was different I was always pretty good when it comes to noticing changes in people's behaviors. Mom started going out very often, which was quite unusual because she spend most of her time with me, except of course, when going out to work. Even though she was still smiling when we were together, I could sense something in this smile was strange… it seemed almost like a sad smile. And in addition, she looked quite bad… I often saw something was aching her. So, finally, I decided to ask her. I cracked open the door to the living room and saw she was sitting on the couch… holding somwhere near her stomach with a painful grimace on her face. I gulped and shivered, not knowing if I really had courage to ask her. What if I get a terrible answer or something like that? I nearly changed my mind, but then I realized that it wouldn't change anything. If something was really going on, it would happen even if I didn't ask. And, actually, it couldn't be that bad, could it?

Hesitantly, I went into the room quietly and took a seat next to her. She noticed me, of course. She smiled – she always smiled seeing me. "Hi there, Ai," she said in a warm voice. This was one of many things I loved her for.

"Umm… Mom…" I said, trying to not look into her eyes.

"Yes?" I didn't really know if I should do this… But I already decided I will… So, taking a deep breath I asked.

"Is something… wrong?" She looked at me, looking a bit startled.

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean! I see something's wrong! What I meant is… your… your health is not well, right?" She seemed as if that comment hit her in the face. She averted my gaze, looking down.

"Why… do you ask?" she said softly.

"If I see something bothering me… then I won't be quiet about it. I've been seeing that for a while now… I can tell you don't feel well." There was a long silence, when she kept her head down, so I couldn't see her face. "Well? Tell me, please," I said, looking directly in her face, desperately wanting her to answer me.

"It's not well, that's true…" she finally said softly. I gulped but I made a decision before that I'm going to ask her about everything.

"How… bad is it…?" I asked, even though I wasn't sure if I wanted to get the answer.

"Very bad…" she answered in an almost whisper. I was almost frozen by that… what did she mean by that!

"Something… serious?" I was already shivering and breathing hard. She finally turned to me – I could see her serious, sad look, now – and gently placed her hands on my arms.

"You could say so…"

"What is it!" I asked, now almost in panic. "Do you need an operation or something!" She was silent. "It wouldn't be so scary… right? I mean… I know we can't probably afford it, but with the help of my school friends' parents, I'm sure they'll…"

"Ai…" she cut me off with a simple word… "No one can help…" Now I was even more nervous and terrified – if that was even possible.

"Stop… stop talking like you're going to die, or something!" I expected her to calm me, like she always did, but instead, she showed me a serious look I never saw in her, looking deep into my eyes. "You… you won't, right?"

"It's… a kidneys' cancer, Ai…" Just one sentence… but it was like I was falling into a bottomless void.

"No…" I whispered. It couldn't be true… probably just a cruel joke… She embraced me tightly. "That's… That's… not true, mom! It can't be! Can't be…" She hugged me even more tightly.

"I'm sorry, Ai… they're saying… it's at a too advanced stage… they can't do anything…" That was too much. Definitevely too much for me. I finally did something I've been meaning to do from a while that evening – I burst into tears.

"NO! This… can't… be…" I managed to say between the sobbing, as she hugged me really tight to her and kept stroking my hair. "Mommy… that's not true…" She shook her head and looked at me serenely.

"I'd really want it to be a lie or a mistake… but…"

"B-b-but you don't look t-that b-bad…" I said crying. She almost smiled – or should I say smiled in a sad way?

"Well, believe me: I feel rather bad… It won't happen _very_ soon… however, it's a matter of months…" she said very softly.

"What!" I shouted almost angrily. It was the first time I even raised the tone at my mother… "What is a matter of months! Do you just want to say you will… you will…" I couldn't say the word 'die' out loud. But she knew too well what I meant. She nodded in a silence.

"Well… It looks like I'll have to leave you alone, soon…" she whispered. I could already see she had traces of tears on her cheeks, as well.

"YOU WON'T!" I can't explain why I was so angry when I should rather be depressed… maybe I was so shocked I didn't realize fully what could… no, what WILL happen… She just shook her head in silence and hugged me again.

I don't have any idea how long I've been crying in her arms. When I finally calmed down a bit, I asked about something I never really understood… even now I still can't understand it…

"Why… why haven't you… told me earlier?" She dropped her head in sadness.

"Because… I was afraid you'd react in a way you just did now…" That may be some explanation, but still… I didn't understand… "That you'll take that very hard…"

"And who wouldn't!" I said. "You're… you're just telling me now… that you will…" I still couldn't say that word out loud. And I felt like crying again.

"I know I did wrong…" she admitted sadly. "I should told you much earlier… prepare you for that in some way… step by step… But I couldn't find the courage… And yet again, it looks like you're a very good observer. I know it's indescribably hard to take the news, but…" she ended the sentence with a big sigh, grimacing and holding her stomach. "Still hurts…"

"That's not true," I said once again that day, ignoring her last comment. I don't know why, maybe because I still didn't believe her somehow, or my mind couldn't accept it. My voice was cracking. Well, considering that whole amount of sobbing and crying, it was just a normal thing. "It's just a damn, horrible nightmare… it has to be!"

"I'd really like it to be… but unfortunately nightmares aren't the only things in the world where you're suffering…"

I had enough.

"NO! YOU WON'T DIE!" I finally said 'that' word.

"I will." Those words shocked me as if someone punched me in the face. She said that as if it was just an affirmation of the fact – very calmly, and still with such an unexplainable calmness. I gulped down another bunch of sobs.

"Why… are you saying that, mommy?" I asked.

"Because you can't run away from what's unavoidable," her answer was so simple, yet so terrifying. "We must talk about it. About everything."

"That won't help me!" I tried to protest. But she just shook her head.

"Trust me. It will. And if you don't talk about the problems, then does it mean they don't exist?" She looked into my eyes.

"No," I admitted, averting her gaze, and staring down. "It doesn't…"

"Then we must talk about it. Seriously." I nodded hesitantly, but nothing mattered for me back then. I didn't have any tears anymore. I cried them all earlier.

"I couldn't live without you, mommy…" I said, as if it was something that could convince death to let her alive.

"I know…" she whispered, stroking my hair.

"What will happen to me when you…"

"Well… my whole family – my parents and my younger sister - died in a car accident five years ago. And the last time I saw them was when I was in the same age as you are now… So even if they would be alive I doubt they'd be happy if they suddenly learned they're grandparents… It's different for my sister – I guess she wouldn't be a bad aunt. Even though she was adopted… Well," she said with a somewhat sarcastic serenity. "I guess we'll have an occasion to talk with each other again, soon…"

"Stop talking like this!" I said almost hysterically.

But she surprised me by looking at me with a serious face. "Ai… You have to understand you can't stop what's unstoppable! Didn't I tell you that already?"

"But… but it's so _hard_!" I tried to explain. "And you aren't making it any easier…"

She nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, I guess… But I can't always lie to you about…" she painfully grimaced again "… my condition… We have to talk about it. Seriously. Telling the whole truth, without any lies… Honestly. Otherwise you'll never be able to live on your own…"

"I will NEVER be able to live on my own! You're the only one for me, mommy…" I sobbed. "I NEED YOU!"

She sighed. "You know, sometimes, I'm wondering how did I manage to create such tight bond between me and my daughter…" I didn't understand that sentence. I always knew the answer for that.

"It's simply because you love me, mommy…"

She smiled for a moment, but her smile quickly faded off when something obviously hurt her again.

"Yes, I love you… And because of that I want you to be happy."

"How can you make me happy if you're going to…"

"Ai…" she cut me off. "You think I'd like to?" she said completely without the anger, yet, her answer froze me.

"I… I… it's…" I fought for words.

"Of course I'd like to stay alive for many years… To see you growing up, forming a family, to see my grandchildren… Yeah, I still have so much to do in my life. But it looks like I won't be able to…"

I was silent. I still couldn't find the words, as she grimaced again.

"I'm only 35… maybe I'm not very young anymore, but…" she ended the sentence with a deep, sad sigh.

"I'm sorry," I finally whispered, looking down. "It's just that… I can't imagine living without you…"

She gently placed her hand on my cheek, carefully lifting my wet face up.

"And that's why we have to talk."

And so, we finally talked. It was the longest talk we ever had, but it was probably the most needed, too. During it, we talked about everything which will happen 'afterwards' and how I will handle it. She tried to prepare me for that. If it was possible, of course. It was also probably the hardest talk I ever had. But she was right – it was needed. It was necessary. During it, I cried a lot. She was always hugging me then. But something I'll never forget is the last part of that conversation, when we talked about… us.

"You know," she said with a little smile. "I still remember when I was pregnant with you…"

"You do?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah… I was very excited to have a little being inside me. I even used to 'talk' with you back then…

"Actually," I said, also managing to smile. "You still do."

"Well, it's a force of a habit," she giggled.

"What was it like…? I mean, giving birth to me?" I asked. She smiled.

"Well, I'm going to tell you the same thing that probably every mother tells when she's asked about her delivery – it was painful." I bit my lip. Even for a single moment, I didn't forget about the core of that talk. Every small word related to the topic – such like 'pain', 'suffer', 'leave' was like a hit into my heart. And because of that, I couldn't really enjoy it, while I'd surely like to. "Helping you to arrive in this world cost me about 10 hours and lot of pain and struggle."

"Uh…" I said, feeling somehow guilty, but my mind was still occupied. "Well, I'm sorry."

"You can't be sorry that you were born, silly!" she said. "Because despite the pain, it was the happiest moment in my life!"

"Really?"

"As if you didn't know…" she murmured. "Of course it was! What would my life be like, if I didn't have you?"

"Much better, I think…" I said sadly.

"WHAT? What makes you think that?" she asked puzzled.

"W… well, you're raising me only by yourself and don't have time for any fun…"

"Raising you is the best fun I had in my whole life, Ai," she said smiling.

"It is?" I asked surprised.

"Of course," she assured with a smile. "Being a mother is a wonderful experience. It makes you proud that you created a life. It makes you proud seeing your child slowly growing up, day by day thanks to your love and care. It makes you indescribably happy when your child is paying your love back." She smiled. "It makes you proud that your hard work has paid off with a smart and pretty young girl." She looked at me with a sweet and warm smile. Oh, how I loved when she was doing it! I always felt so… loved and needed then… "You'll be aware of that when you'll be a mother, too." I suddenly felt sad again.

"I don't know if I'd like to," I muttered sadly, looking away.

"Why?" she asked dumbfounded.

"If I would have children… they could suffer later like I do right now…" She obviously understood what I meant. She embraced me and looked into my eyes.

"Life doesn't only have pleasant moments, Ai."

"I know…" I whispered. "But… why? Why it doesn't?"

"Because if there wouldn't be any sad moments, we wouldn't appreciate the cheerful ones." She always surprised me with such wise phrases… Yeah, she was a truly wise woman…

"But I…" I tried to say something but I was unable to find the right words. "I don't need any sad moments to appreciate the cheerful ones! I know too well my life has been good and I really appreciate it!" There was a short silence for a while. "And I… will never feel happy again…"

"Don't say that," she whispered encouragingly.

"I can't imagine being happy…" I kept falling into a depression.

"Maybe you can't right now, but time heals wounds…"

"You mean too much for me…" I cut her off. "I couldn't possibly forget about you…" I started shivering again.

"And who's telling you to forget?" she said calmly. "I just meant being over it. It doesn't mean to completely forget about me." I shook my head.

"I couldn't be over it…"

"Oh, come on," she said. "My daughter is a strong person, isn't she?"

"Uh? Umm, w-well…"

"Ai," she said, trying to calm me down. "This won't be easy at all, I'm aware of it. I know it will be actually the hardest thing in your life. But… you'll manage to come to terms with it, after some time. Maybe that won't be a short time, but I have faith in you." I looked up at her, a bit surprised. "Just remember – I couldn't be more proud of you than I'm now. You're the biggest treasure of my life." Now, my whole body was shivering, trying not to cry again. Anyway, something was still bothering me.

"Mom… why are you so calm about your…" I gulped, but I was finally able somehow to say 'that' word out loud. "… death?" She sighed.

"Because I had enough time to think about it and come to terms with it. Good thing you didn't notice that earlier… because I wouldn't probably be ready to talk with you back then. It wasn't easy at all for me…"

"Actually," I said. "I noticed that a lot earlier, but I didn't find enough courage…"

She embraced me very tightly, and caressed my cheek. I could see some tears in her eyes, even though they weren't as watery as mine.

"And now you have to find a lot of it," she whispered.

* * *

A simple small talk… Something that's really nothing much… But it's unbelievable how it can help one. You just exchange some words with someone and you're much calmer… Yet… there are some things you'll never accept. No matter how much you'd like to. That was one of these things… Even though I felt a little calmer, I still felt depressed, sad, and mostly just scared. I tried to live with it, but it was too hard. Show me any 14 year old who wouldn't feel depressed knowing her beloved mother will die very soon! I tried to be with her as often as I could, knowing that soon I wouldn't be able to. I even considered leaving school, but I already knew mom would never allow this. I was never a spoiled child. Just because she loved me didn't mean she was letting me do anything. Of course she wasn't! But she was just able to refuse very calmly and explain why. Even though I could be surely persistent when I was little… 

Every time I looked at her – grimacing in pain – I felt like crying. And most of times I indeed did cry. She was very patient with me. When I needed comfort and encouragement – she gave me them. She amazed me. How could she live like nothing had changed at all?

Her reply was "I don't want to live two lives – 'before' and 'after'. I want to live normally… as far as I can." It terrified me. It could seem logical, but… behind it was the proof of the fact I will lose her, soon… I was about to cry – again – when I felt her warm arm around me. I looked up at her. She had a calm, yet so serious face.

"Ai…" she began after a few moments of silence. "I'll tell you some words which describe my meaning of happiness." She stopped for a moment. I stared at her silently, waiting her to continue. "I'm happy when my life is happy."

"Well… it was obvious for me you are depressed…"

"Right now, indeed." I just nodded sadly and dropped my head. Could she feel otherwise when nearing death? She didn't have to tell me something that obvious.

"… Because you're depressed." I shot up my head immediately.

"What… what it has to do with me?" She surprised me with a little smile.

"And who you are, if not my whole life?" I looked at her, totally shocked.

"I… I…" I gulped. "Mom…" I whispered softly. Instead of a useless trying to find the right words, I hugged her tightly. And it meant everything I wanted to say.

"Remember," she said when we part, with that calmness that always amazed me. "I'm happy when you're happy and sad when you're sad. It's been always like that since you were born."

"I can't be happy because… " I tried to say, but she cut me off.

"Ai, listen, if you'll keep remind me and yourself of it, it won't change anything. You will just cause our both more pain. Do you really want to depress me?" she asked. There was a trace of sadness in her voice.

"I… I don't want to… I'm sorry, mommy!" Her face brightened a little.

"It's okay… I understand it's hard for you…" I nodded, and decided to ask her about something.

"How come you are such great mother for me?" She smiled widely immediately. I can't remember when I saw her that happy. Probably never.

"You know, it's the biggest compliment I heard in my whole life."

"It's not a compliment." Now, it was my turn to smile. "It's just true."

"The reason is, as you have already said back then," (that 'back then' was how we called the day I found out about her illness) "it's because I love you."

"Almost every mother loves her child. And yet I can't think of anyone who's as good mother as you." It seemed I made her even happier – if that was still possible.

"Maybe it's because we have only each other?"

"Probably yes."

We silenced for a while, just looking at each other, smiling widely for a long time.

"You know," I eventually broke the silence. "I think it's also because you're very wise." She shook her head, still smiling.

"No. Most of that all life wisdom is exactly from maternity."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I gained a lot of experience just being your mother. It changed my life very drastically… but for the better."

"You can't tell me you were stupid before I was born!" I said half-jokingly.

"Oh, it was just a knowledge. Just a science. Don't mistake it with the ability to make the right decisions in life." She suddenly looked in distance and her smile dropped in an instant. "I wasn't wise at all back then. Not at all…" she whispered.

I gave her a dumbfounded look.

"What do you mean, mom?"

But she just shook her head and tried her best to smile again.

"Never mind that now." I just nodded.

Thanks to that talk, we managed to avoid the sad topics and sometimes even cheer up each other a bit. But neither of us could really forget…

* * *

It didn't take long until they had to take her into the hospital. Definitely too quick for me. Even though I was the one who suggested that. I just couldn't look at her terrible pain and suffering. I always felt my heart splitting in two then. Again, she tried to say that she wants to live normally as long as it's possible. This time, I was the one who said something in the matter, which was usually used by her. 

"And I think it's no longer possible."

Surprisingly, she didn't argue with that.

Despite that, I felt as if it was a turning point in my life; a point from where it started to slip down constantly.

Since then, the hospital became actually my home. If I didn't have to go to the school, I would most likely live there. The doctors and nurses were almost my family. That went mostly for doctor Wakau. He's been mother's doctor and most of all her good friend since long ago, when he started to control her pregnancy. Who knows, maybe if he wasn't so old (already past 65), maybe there could be something between these two? In any case, he was always our trusted friend so it was no surprise he wandered around the hospital with his head down, being silent the whole time. Every time he met me on his way, he whispered only one word: 'courage', and passed me by. But I didn't need courage. I needed comfort. It's a pity that such good doctor didn't see something that obvious. Then again, he wasn't a psychologist… maybe he could barely handle this by himself…

I spent most of the time of that part of my life next to my mother's bed. It needed a lot of courage, actually. There were many times when I really wanted to just run away from that horrible sight: my beloved, dear mother, laying on the hospital bed in pain, with a look of the death in her eyes and barely even conscious, whispering only a few words to me; or even completely unconscious.

Of course there were also better days, when she felt a little healthier. We talked about many things then. We often reminded ourselves of our cheerful times. But we also had serious talks about what will happen 'after'. I tried to be strong, but I just couldn't. No matter how strong I tried to be. I think she understood that. Every time I cried I could feel her warm hand on mine and see her encouraging smile. _She_ tried to encourage _me_! Even though _I_ should be the one doing that for her!

She attempted many times to assure me she loves me no matter what, and that I'm the most important thing in the world for her. And that she can't imagine living without me. And she said she doesn't anything else. But… I honestly don't know if that was the whole truth. Actually, I can remember times when I was a little girl and was taking peeks from my room. Back then, I could see her looking through the window with a sad look on her face. Though I don't know what she was thinking about, I understand it's very hard for a woman to raise her child only by herself. Yet, she managed to give me that amount of love and care I needed. And that's another reason I loved her for. And I still do. And I'll never stop.

* * *

I don't wish anyone to witness what I witnessed those days… Every day she grew weaker and weaker… The last days she wasn't conscious anymore. She woke up a week before she died. That last week… she couldn't talk anymore, but… I saw it. I could see in her eyes she wanted me to be close. And I spent all the time I could hugging her, knowing somehow she wanted that. 

And one of those days… she had finally gone silently and peacefully. In my arms…

I don't have any idea how long I've been crying, still hugging her cooling lifeless body. The next thing I remember is doctor Wakau's hand on my arm and his face, full of sorrow. "You can't do anything for her anymore." he whispered. My throat was too itchy, so I just slowly nodded… and finally did what I wanted to do much earlier: I ran away…

* * *

Soon, I was transferred into the child's house. I felt like with mom's death I've lost my will to live. I didn't talk much to anyone. One could even say I was taking it surprisingly well, but only because he hasn't looked through my soul. Inside me, everything died with her. Everything. 

I didn't go to the funeral. I didn't want to see her dead. I always wanted to remember her alive… smiling warmly at me. And I will remember her like that. Forever.

* * *

**

* * *

Author notes:** Whew! That's probably the most difficult thing I've even written! Probably that's why it took me so long! I know many of you were wondering if it's been canceled or not… As you can see – it hasn't. I just had to make it good enough. And I still feel it's not good at all… I didn't make it touching enough and I left many plot-holes… well, okay, but please be gentle with me, this is my first fic, for crying out loud! 

Oh, one more thing: don't say "Hey, you don't really know what Ai must have felt so it's not really convincing." Well, I'm sorry if you think like that. But believe me: I know pretty much what she was going through. And before you ask: No, both of my parents are thankfully well. But my beloved grandmother who lived with us ever since I was born HAD a kidneys cancer (even though she was dying slower than Naru in this fic). I know a grandmother isn't someone as close as mother, but… we had almost as great bond as Ai had with Naru. She died when I was eleven. Well, looks like I've kinda told you how I got the idea for this fic, huh?

Either way, I hope you liked it.

L-Voss


	7. 6 Memories, Digging and Explorations

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Love Hina.

**Pre-read by: **darksoulessbody17

"**The Late Results of Stubbornness"**

_Chapter six: "Memories, Digging and Explorations"_

Long silence followed her words. She just stood there; her gaze kept on the ground. But strangely, not a single tear trailed down her cheeks. It seemed like she finally eased the burden she carried on her shoulders so long time. Finally, Keitaro decided to break the silence.

"Looks like… it was really hard for you to tell all of this…" he said with a serious face.

"Yeah…" was the simple response; as if she didn't really want to talk after telling such a story.

"You really…" he tried somewhat desperately to comfort her somehow. "... didn't deserve for so much pain in your life. Actually, I think nobody does."

"Life is life." she replied blankly. "It's not for us to decide." Despite her words, she let out a deep sigh. Then, she looked up. "But… I feel much better, now. I… I think I just had to share that with someone."

"Yeah…" he said seriously. Then he smiled hesitantly. "So, you want to eat? It's getting late."

"Sure," she replied with a weak smile.

---------------

"What is that?"

"Hm?" Ai asked absently, looking up from her work. Another week passed and they still dug around, looking for artifacts. Though they didn't find anything new since Ai's last discovery. Despite that, she still had the same (or even bigger) enthusiasm towards it. She really enjoyed digging. First of all, it was a good way to occupy her mind, and it was a nice entertainment, too. Keitaro even joked she would dig until she finds King Solomon's lost mines or something like that.

"I mean, what was that melody you were just humming?"

"I was humming something…?" she asked startled.

"Um, yeah, you were." He said a bit surprised that she was obviously doing it without even knowing it.

"Oh," she smiled slightly. "I didn't even realize. It's an old melody."

"I know that," he said, also with a smile. "I'm not sure, but I can remember some parts of it… though I can't recognize it." He scratched his head.

"Well, I know it well… for a long time." she said softly, still smiling.

"How long?"

"You can say, ever since I was born." Now, she was grinning.

"Huh?" He was puzzled.

"Uh…" Her smile dropped a little. "Mom liked it."

"Oh…" his face grew serious.

"Well, she never sang it to me, when I was a baby, or anywhere near me. I don't know why; maybe because it's quite a sad melody. Maybe she thought it wasn't good for a little child 'cause it can make them depressed. Anyway, you can guess how surprised she was, when she heard me humming it one day when I was only three. She asked me where I learnt it. I couldn't answer. I simply didn't have an idea. So, she concluded I remembered it when I was in her womb."

"Hey, that's possible. I've heard of this kind of thing, but never actually saw it." he said with an awestruck smile.

"Well, anyway, she taught me the lyrics and since then we liked to sing it together. When I was little, she even sang it to me as a lullaby. Sometimes, I even demanded it, threatening I won't sleep otherwise." she chuckled. "You know," she smiled a little. "She had a wonderful voice."

"I know…"

"Huh?"

"Eh, uhm, I mean, you have a nice voice, so it's only logical she was the one who passed it on you." he explained rather nervously.

"Err, thank you for the compliment," she blushed.

"No, that's not a compliment. It's just the truth." he managed to smile.

"If-if you say so…" her blush deepened. She started to dig with double energy to hide it.

But Keitaro noticed something else – for the first time when she talked about her mother, she actually smiled instead of crying…

---------------

"You should cover up yourself more tightly," Ai heard, already half-asleep. She blinked several times and finally cracked her eyes open. Indeed, the cover reached only her waist. She must have tossed herself while drifting away again.

"Uhm, okay…" she yawned and covered herself up neglectfully. She was always as sleepy as if she didn't get any sleep for a week, after just one day of digging. Not that sleeping in the van was bad, of course. It was way better than sleeping on her old mat. Keitaro tried to explain she shouldn't overtax her strength and such. But her only reply was making a 'poor-girl' face – something he could never resist. After three weeks of hanging around him, she knew him well enough and didn't hesitate to use her knowledge now and then.

"You know, it's kinda important. The nights aren't really warm now. You could get a cold, you know." Keitaro said with a smile, kneeling down next to her futon.

She blinked, not smiling back.

---------------

"_Hey, Ai, you can't sleep uncovered." The four-year old girl just looked up at the young woman curiously._

"_Why?" The woman smiled._

"_Because you could get a cold."_

"_But why could I get a cold because I sleep uncovered?" The woman let out a playful sigh._

"_Because all those evil germs really like cold and just wait for an opportunity to infect you." The girl seemed to be a little scared with that and gulped. Children tend to have a lot of respect towards the things they don't know too well. "So, will you be a good girl and help your own health?"_

_She nodded. "Sure, mommy!" she exclaimed and tugged the cover up maybe even too enthusiastically._

_Her mother caressed her hair. "Good girl," she whispered softly with a warm smile giving her a peck on the cheek._

---------------

"Hello? Ai-chan? You still with me?" Keitaro asked both puzzled and worried at the same time.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry! I must've dozed off," She lied, not wanting him to know what she was really thinking about. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Does this often happen to you?"

"Uh, well…" she blushed a little, trying to forget the memories that dwelled in her mind just a while ago. "Sometimes. More to me than others, anyway." He let out another chuckle.

"I see…"

---------------

Ai looked up from her spade, covered with sweat. Another location, another part of the forest, and yet, still nothing.

"See, I told you. It needs a lot of patience," Keitaro said with a smirk.

"I am very patient," she replied, wiping the sweat out of her forehead.

"Yeah, and not tired at all…" he rolled his eyes.

"Hey, it's not a big deal! I'm not a sissy!" she panted.

"Oh, so you want to keep digging?"

"Definitely!" she stated firmly with a determined look.

"I see. What a pity."

"Huh?" she looked at him, not quite understanding what he had said.

"I thought you might want to help me explore the cave I found this morning, when you were still sleeping…"

"WHAT!" she bolted up instantly, dropping her spade. "You… you found a cave! Where is it? Are there some artifacts inside!" she started to assail him with questions.

"Hey, calm down," he chuckled. "It's kinda far away, but we have a car so that won't be a problem…"

"So when are we going?" she asked impatiently. He scratched his head in thought.

"Not today. Sorry." Her excited smile dropped a little.

"But why?"

"You know, big caverns like that one need a proper attention. We can't just nip in there and look around. We'd need to prepare ourselves. Besides, it's dangerous, so maybe you'd better…"

"No way!" she cut him off, anticipating what he was going to say. "I'll be fine!"

"Listen, Ai-chan," he said with a stern face. "That's REALLY very dangerous. You know, many dangers can lurk inside, and I mean very serious dangers. I mean…"

"Weren't you the one who asked me to help you in the first place?" she grinned slyly. He trailed off, obviously caught.

"Errr… it's not like… I mean, I was saying…" His desperate search for an excuse wasn't really a successful one, though.

"So when are we going?" she asked once more, ignoring his words. He sighed in defeat.

"Oh, fine! Tomorrow afternoon, I think."

"Great!" The joy on her face was clearly visible.

"But listen, Ai-chan," Keitaro began once more. "You have to promise me that you won't go anywhere without me and that you won't do anything on your own, without my permission, okay?"

"As you wish, Urashima-san." she stated calmly and turned her head to watch the now setting sun.

'_Geez, Naru would kill me for that,_' he sighed inwardly in secret, allowing himself a little smile.

---------------

"So, are you ready?" Keitaro asked with a gentle smile, looking at Ai at his side.

"Yeah," she said, though she didn't really feel at ease. The big, dark hole in the rocks was definitely enough to scare one, although some people called it a 'cave'.

"Don't worry," Keitaro reassured her with a smile. "It's okay to be scared now."

The sudden touch on her hand made her look down at it, and she saw Keitaro's hand gently holding hers. It was so sudden, she jerked it away.

"Oh, sorry…" he whispered, surprised, with a kind of a sad look at his face.

"N-no, it's nothing… I-I don't really mind, b-but… uhhh…" She dropped her head.

"Hey, I understand." The following silence wasn't very pleasant, though. "Come on, let's go now," he said finally, smiling encouragingly, again.

She nodded and followed him inside, but right now, yet again this week, her mind was somewhere… or sometime else…

---------------

_Five-year old Ai was clutching onto her mother skirt. That place was so new to her… so unfamiliar. She didn't like it at all. And the noise didn't make it any better, quite the contrary._

"_Mommy… do I really have to stay here…?" she asked imploringly once more, not wanting to let go of her mother clothing._

"_Ai," she said calmly, looking down at her. "I don't want you to stay here, too, but you need to understand I have to make money and because of that have to go out sometimes. And I don't want to leave you alone."_

_Ai nodded, but she still had another argument prepared. "But Yasumi-san always took care of me!" Her mother sighed._

"_Yes, but she's a bit too ill now and she's an old lady. You know she loves to be with you, but you also know that you shouldn't bother someone who's too weak, right?"_

_Ai nodded once again, a bit sad. "Poor Yasumi-san…" Then she looked up again. "But will I be okay, mommy?" she asked still uncertain, and still holding her mother skirt._

"_Of course," she replied with a reassuring smile. "These ladies here are all nice and will help you. You don't have to worry. And there are lots of children in your age here. Maybe you'll make some friends?"_

"_I don't need any friends," Ai whispered grumping. "You are enough for me."_

_Her mother giggled. "Yeah, but I can't be always with you. I'd like to, but life is life."_

_Ai was silent. She still wasn't sure about this._

"_Listen, Ai, don't worry, I will come back for you," Ai's mother tried to convince her. "I won't leave you here, don't worry. I love you too much for that."_

_The little girl's face brightened immediately at these words. "Okay, but promise you come back quickly!" she finally gave up._

"_Only if you promise me you won't cry and will behave well, okay?" her mother bantered._

"_I'll try!" Ai promised, causing her to smile._

"_Good. Well then, if I'll hear you were a good girl, we have ice-creams later, all right?"_

_Ai just hugged her tightly with a big smile on her face. "'Kay, mommy. Can they be strawberry ones?"_

"_Sure," the young woman laughed. Then she gave her daughter a quick peck on the cheek and turned to leave. Ai watched her on her way to the door. There, she turned back once more and gave the girl an encouraging smile. With that, she left._

_Ai smile dropped at instant while she looked down. "I mustn't cry. I promised…" she murmured._

"_So this is your first day in the kindergarten, huh?" she heard a kind voice. She looked up sadly, seeing a woman in her early 30s, smiling gently at her._

_She nodded._

"_Don't worry; your mommy will come back."_

"_I know. She promised, and she always keeps her promises." The child stated simply._

"_Then why don't you play with someone until she comes back?"_

---------------

'_Yeah… I remember. I was so afraid that day… and after all, I realized I was worried for nothing. It's kinda similar now…_'

Lost in her thoughts, Ai didn't realize until now, that Keitaro stopped a while ago before a seemingly bare wall and was now studying it.

"Uhm, excuse me, but why did you stop here?" she asked weakly. He smiled, not even turning his head.

"Sometimes, things aren't clearly visible at first sight. Nor even at second or third one," he said with a smirk, checking on the wall.

"Huh? What are you…" she trailed off as he put his hands on some stone and forcefully pushed it aside. The sight Ai saw made her thunderstruck.

There was a dark hole in the wall of the cave. It wasn't really big – which meant that a teenager like Ai wouldn't be able to enter into the passage upright, not even mentioning Keitaro.

"Wow…" Ai said in awe. "But how did you know…?"

"Years of experience," he replied with a wink. Yes, that was so simple…

"You think there are some priceless artifacts there?" she asked energized.

"Who knows? This passageway doesn't seem to be natural. It had to be built by someone." he pondered.

"But getting through would be a bit uncomfortable, don't you think?" she hesitated, frowning. To her surprise, he shook his head.

"I'm quite sure that after this passage there would be another giant cave, so we just have to crawl through this short route." He flashed a smile, and turned to her. "Shall we?" He gestured to the entrance.

"Okay!" she exclaimed with an excited grin.

"Ladies first," he winked.

"As you wish, Urashima-san." With that she began to crawl through.

---------------

The way wasn't as short as Keitaro expected. Ai didn't know anymore if she was crawling in such an uncomfortable position for minutes or hours. She was covered with sweat, her hands and knees desperately wanted a bit of rest after having to hold the whole body and being hit by various stones and shingles. Because of boredom, her mind began to wander on various things. '_I wonder what girls would say if they knew I'm crawling through some dark cave with a strange, kind archaeologist guy…_' She almost stopped at that thought. '_Girls…_' she reminded herself. '_Are they… worried about me right now? Or don't they care anymore? Nah… considering what they've said back then…_'

---------------

"_Hey, Ai what is it?"_

"_Huh?" Ai blinked several times snapping off a daze and turned her head halfheartedly to the girl in the same age as her, dressed just like her, in the proper junior high-uniform. The girl had green eyes and long blonde hair dropping freely behind her shoulders; her quite pretty face covered was covered with freckles, though they didn't make her uglier. Actually, thanks to them, her face was looking even cuter._

"_Come on, tell us, what's going on?" she repeated her question; the worried look on her face was clearly visible._

"_I told you, Asano-chan: everything's fine!" Ai snarled rather forcefully before resting her head on her palms again._

"_Oh, Ai, stop this, we've known you long enough to know something's wrong!" another voice countered. There was another girl standing next to the blonde. She had light red hair and brown eyes which looked as if there were some kind of wisdom hiding behind them._

"_Nothing's wrong, Asuna! Can't you two just leave me alone!" Ai started to lose her patience._

"_No, we can't!" Asuna replied immediately. "We are your friends and we can't leave you like that!" Ai just grumbled._

"_Like what?"_

"_Sitting lifelessly at your desk and staring into an empty space! Or not listening to the teacher! It's so unusual for you, just like snowing in summer!" Asuna obviously had some arguments prepared._

"_And we **never **saw you **that** sad," Asano added. "Not even mentioning it's going on for months already!" Ai sighed deeply._

"_Look, it's my business, okay?" she tried to sound at least a bit polite._

"_Won't you even tell us?" Asuna wondered. "Why are you so quiet about this? Why won't you let us know, when we ask you almost every day?"_

_This time Ai didn't feel like answering them._

"_Oh, come on," Asano tried once more. "We want to help you! It's so painful for us to see our best friend in such a state. It makes our sad."_

_Ai was still silent. However, she began to shiver slightly._

"_Hey," Asano decided to push her advantage a bit. "How long have we been friends already?"_

_Ai finally spoke after a moment. "Ten years, I guess…" she said softly. Yes, these three really had fun hanging out together. They were inseparable at school as well as out of it. They had a lot in common: similar life philosophy, the same hobbies… Strangely, Ai didn't have any other friends. Maybe she didn't need anyone else, while she had two so perfect friends? Or maybe she was just to shy to look for someone? Anyway, life was much better with them around. She still remembered that time when they first met… her first day in the kindergarten. These two just asked her if she wanted to play together with them, and she agreed weakly. Ai still remembered how much fun she had that day, that she wasn't scared anymore, and that she even didn't want to leave when it was time to go back home. She remembered how she was talking about her new friends the whole next day, while her mother just smiled warmly at her. Her mother… her mother…_

_Ai found the hard lump forming in her throat. Not looking up, she stood up, took her schoolbag, and then turned to leave._

"_Uh, Ai, where are you going?" Asano asked, totally confused. "The lesson is about to start!" Indeed, the teacher was supposed to come anytime now._

_She didn't answer and started heading to the door._

"_Hey, Ai, what are you doing? You have trouble, if your mother will find out that you…"_

_That was enough. Asuna hit the nerve._

"_SHE WON'T FIND OUT BECAUSE SHE'S NOT WAKING UP ANYMORE!" Ai yelled, turning back. That caused two other girls to step back in horror._

"_W-what are you…?"_

"_SHE'S DYING, THE HELL, SHE WON'T MIND ANYMORE! MY MOTHER IS DYING! NOW, IF YOU KNOW ALREADY, LEAVE ME ALONE!" with that she rushed out the classroom, managing to catch the glimpse of her shocked classmates, who fell silent with horrified looks … However she couldn't see anymore because of her tears…_

---------------

'_She died the same day… and I never returned to school. Every day in child's house I just pretended I'm leaving to school… I never saw them again…_' Ai shook her head, trembling. '_That wasn't a good way of saying goodbye… What did they think back then? After all, I didn't explain it any further… I guess I'll never know…_' She sighed.

Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of the end of the passage. '_Wow, finally!_' she thought, dropping her previous sad thoughts. '_The end of the tunnel… Normally there would be a light at the end of it, but… oh…_' she felt a bit awkward as she realized the meaning of 'light at the end of the tunnel'. But she didn't have much time to ponder upon it since she finally reached the end of the passage.

At the end was, indeed, the second cave, even bigger than the first one. However, she couldn't really see anything because of the engulfing darkness. Nevertheless, she had a pretty good hearing so it wasn't a problem for her to hear Keitaro emerging from the passageway just after her.

"Sorry about the long walk," he said.

"You should rather say 'crawl'," Ai smirked.

"Yeah, I suppose," he laughed shortly.

"So…" Ai began, trying to look around, even though it wasn't really possible to see anything. "How are we supposed to see anything here?" She suddenly jerked up when a small source of light flashed from behind. She turned around to see Keitaro holding torchlight.

"Even heard of this brainchild device?" he joked.

"Many obvious things are not really obvious with you, Urashima-san," she frowned, but smiled nevertheless. He chuckled and started to explore the surroundings thanks to the torchlight.

"A-HA!" he exclaimed in triumph.

"What, what?" she asked quickly, already overexcited. He just pointed somewhere in the front of them. Following his gaze, she couldn't help but stare in awe at some strange symbols on the wall… and mostly at some old, dusted, though surely priceless vases, pedants, or even some gems on the pedestal next to the wall.

"Amazing…" was the only word Ai was able to say. Keitaro just nodded.

"Yeah, that's the best place for hiding a small treasure," he explained. "These old tribes were really clever, after all. No one could even reach their precious belongings."

"So, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" she exclaimed energized and rushed forward.

"Ai, wait!" he shouted.

"Huh?" she froze and turned around. His panicked look started to surprise her…

… as the shadow beneath her started to grow bigger and bigger…

… she looked up…

… and saw a big part of stone debris falling directly on her. She didn't even get to scream. Before she could do anything, her view was blocked by something pushing her off the range of the falling debris…

---------------

Ai vision was coming back slowly. She could make a Keitaro's form through the blurry image. She blinked several times. He was obviously leaning towards her. "Ai! Ai! Can you hear me!" he sounded as worried as if his own life was at danger.

"Yeah…" she replied weakly. "I'm fine." She began to slowly remember what happened. Suddenly, a realization hit her. "Have you… just saved me!" she asked amazed.

"Uh…" he scratched his head, not losing his worried-to-death look. "You can say so… I pushed you out of the way."

"I can't believe it! You could've died because of me, and…" she started to blame herself nervously, not daring to look up into his eyes.

"It's okay. I'm all right, so you don't have to worry." She looked up hesitantly. He had that kind of reassuring smile on his face.

"But…"

"And besides…" his face became worried again. "I don't think you can feel that because of the shock, but it seems your leg is broken." Ai looked at her legs, startled. Her right one was actually turned in an awkward angle. She never broke any of her limbs and always dreaded it as if it was something what can't be cured. Right now, she started to feel the pain already.

"Oh…" was the only thing she could say. To her surprise, he quickly lifted her up.

"Wh-what are you…" she began, not able to fight the blush on her face off.

"I need to carry you to the hospital fast! I found another exit of this cave!" These words scared her more than having a broken leg.

"N-no! The police…" she began to ramble.

"Ai, I'm not going to argue with you right now!" he said very seriously, enough to make her feel his own nervousness – which was probably as big as hers. "Not only it's broken, but it also has a few serious wounds, cuts and such! It's too serious to dismiss this! Don't you think it's more important than being caught!"

"B-but… I don't want to ever come back… there… anymore…" she whispered so sadly that it could tear one's heart in half.

"I know…" he agreed, already heading to another exit of the cave. He was sprinting fast, but he carried her so gently as if she was one of the king's jewels or something. "Say," he said softly and warmly. "You mentioned that doctor Wakau, right? If he was your mother's friend, maybe he could help us?" She just nodded weakly.

"Maybe…" she said in a mere whisper. But the pain was getting worse and worse…


End file.
